Culling Chicks Opinion Changed =/

[Brynna]

If it fits bread stander or not it is still a living and breathing thing. I mean if they are gonna die and suffer then that is a different story but if they can live a happy life with out being perfect then that is no reason to kill them. To me its not right unless they are going to suffer and are gonna die on their own. Killing a chicks because it is not up to bread standers is not right and is really not necessary.

 

[hokankai]

You don't have to kill your culls in order to be breeder. In fact all of the show and champion breeders I've bought from sell their pet quality birds for cheaper, and one of them even gives away wry necks/crossbeaks to pet only homes.

CluckyCharms, when exactly did you realize your opinions had changed? Was it when you first noticed the formation of vulture hocks? Are you feelings toward this particular chick's bad attitude adding to this epiphany you've had? Take those vulture hocks and put them on the sweetest chick out of the bunch...what would you do in that situation?

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

You don't have to kill your culls in order to be breeder. In fact all of the show and champion breeders I've bought from sell their pet quality birds for cheaper, and one of them even gives away wry necks/crossbeaks to pet only homes.

CluckyCharms, when exactly did you realize your opinions had changed? Was it when you first noticed the formation of vulture hocks? Are you feelings toward this particular chick's bad attitude adding to this epiphany you've had? Take those vulture hocks and put them on the sweetest chick out of the bunch...what would you do in that situation?

I was just about to add this when I saw this post.
Definition of CULL

1
: to select from a group : choose <culled the best passages from the poet's work>
2
: to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control
— cull·er noun

I think a LOT of people substitute cull for kill. There is a difference, although killing is sometimes part of culling. As a future breeder I will be culling and sometimes yes killing. Although the ones that don't get killed(deformities, aggression and so forth) but culled out of my breeding program will be used in my egg or meat flocks or sold as "mutts" if the do not fit SOP. There are all sorts of words that can be used to substitute for so many opinions and what not. As long as you are UP FRONT about what a customer is potentially getting then they will know if there are any SOP or non-SOP traits in the bird. I hope this thread can recover and go back to a discussion and not be a thread of attacks and defenses. We all have opinions. Some should be discussed over PM's and not publicly.

 

[CluckyCharms]

I appreciate everyone's answers thus far, even the ones I feel were worded way too harshly.

If the vulture hocks were on the sweetest female in the brooder I would feel the same way in regard to culling. I don't want to spread around a fault, knowing it was a fault. That being said, this chick's horrendous attitude was apparent on day 1, I went into it in great detail on another thread. His hockies didn't start showing up until the day before yesterday, a week later.

I still am going to put an end to this chick (because he's obnoxious and because he has hockies), but I have decided to wait until he is 8 weeks old so we can eat him rather than doing it now so he'd serve no purpose. We will grow him out *by himself* (he's a mean bird, plain and simple), and when he is of age for a fryer we'll have a dinner and I will thank him for his contribution to our plates.

That being said, yes...I still feel the same way this morning. =/

 

[hokankai]

I was just about to add this when I saw this post.
Definition of CULL

1
: to select from a group : choose <culled the best passages from the poet's work>

2
: to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control
— cull·er noun

I think a LOT of people substitute cull for kill. There is a difference, although killing is sometimes part of culling. As a future breeder I will be culling and sometimes yes killing. Although the ones that don't get killed(deformities, aggression and so forth) but culled out of my breeding program will be used in my egg or meat flocks or sold as "mutts" if the do not fit SOP. There are all sorts of words that can be used to substitute for so many opinions and what not. As long as you are UP FRONT about what a customer is potentially getting then they will know if there are any SOP or non-SOP traits in the bird. I hope this thread can recover and go back to a discussion and not be a thread of attacks and defenses. We all have opinions. Some should be discussed over PM's and not publicly.


I've distinguished between the two multiple times in my previous posts. My whole purpose here is to show alternative means of culling, or at least using the bird for something so that it doesn't go to waste. My last post was focused on killing for aesthetics only.

CluckyCharms, that's exactly what I meant. At least he's not going to waste. Happy chicken keeping! I'm off to the Christmas Bazaar

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Who exactly is saying they suffer? Seems like some of you are making assumptions based on zero facts. Guess what? I culled 10 more this morning? Call me evil call me what you want. I am not in this to waste my time energy and feed resources on a sickly or deformed chick. 120 more in the brooder that aren't having issues. Heres the kicker... Not one of them suffered. Quick and as painless as can be. They dont go to waste either, I have dogs that take care of that.

 

[CluckyCharms]

Don't mistake my choice on this 1 chick for decisions I will make in the future. This is 1 bird, but I am certainly not going to do this in the future when I'm breeding and have to separate the weeds from the plants. I want to have the best possible examples of three or four certain breeds. If that means I remove the ones that I don't feel are within the standards *and then some* then that's what it means. In regard to culls - I don't believe (which is my personal right to have an opinion) that giving away (rehoming) or selling culls is appropriate, because then it just lets that bird into someone else's flock where they can breed it willy-nilly to have that fault, and sell faulted birds to other people because I chose to give/sell them that bird - I won't be doing that. I'm not going to make my flock a perfect example of breed and then be the reason other people don't. If the chicken doesn't have a fault according to standards, but there is something about it that I personally don't like - then of course I would rehome or sell it to someone else. However, if the chick is deformed in any way or has a fault that hampers it from being SOP? No, I won't let it go beyond my own gate.

 

[StarLover21]

I personally don't really agree with anything in the first post. I would always try to give a damaged bird a chance, and I don't think that will ever change. Especially if you aren't even a breeder, I don't think a full grown bird should be killed just because it has a 'problem', for example the wrong type of comb. The bird can, of course, live a healthy, normal life, and would probably make a great pet for somebody else. If a bird doens't have enough feathering on it's legs it shouldn't just be killed.

As for selling birds that a breeder thinks just should be culled, well, not everybody's a breeder. I have a marans with clean legs and she is a fantastic pet for me. I'm not a breeder so I honestly don't care. I think she's perfect

But that's just my personal opinion; I respect everybody elses views. It's really your personal choice

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I am not sure what the difference is in culling a chick that you know you do not have the space, time, or use for, and culling the same chick after feeding him up for 20 weeks to eating size. Most roosters are culled at some point, as there is simply not enough room for all those roosters. And anyone who has bought sexed pullet chicks is basically culling, as the extra male chicks - basically a by-product - are killed immediately at the hatchery. Re-homing simply means for most roosters that they will be eaten, just not by you - and that you have no control over how they are treated once they leave your ownership.

If you have the time and resources to take care of chicks with debilitating abnormalities, good for you. If not, kinder to kill them immediately rather than letting them linger.

This is an excellent point. If you have a flock that is more hens than roosters then you participate in culling whether you do it yourself or not. Healthy birds died or were otherwise held from the population so your flock can look like that. This is for the overall well being of all of the birds.

What is the definition of only culling for deformity? An appearance flaw is inherently included in that definition as it is a genetic deformity. Any domestic chicken that you have exists because of generations and generations of this practice.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deformity

Irresponsible breeding has long term consequences that are not good for domesticated animals overall.

 

[CluckyCharms]

Thanks for the replies and thanks to others for the private messages (not mentioning names). The fact of the matter is yes...I feel attacked on this thread and I feel it's unfortunate that some people are no longer capable of discussing their differing points of view in a respectful and respectable manner. It is not difficult to disagree respectfully but apparently there are many who have issues doing it. I do think a large part of it is that people use the internet as a mask to hide behind and sling nasties at other people because they can. There are human beings sitting on the other side of these computer screens; treat them as such.

My mind changes frequently about minor things, but something like this (to me) is more serious than which brand of paper towels I'm going to buy. I'm still choosing to end the lives of deformed chicks who will *not* be able to live as a chicken should, and I'm still choosing to believe that those who don't - aren't doing the chicken any favors. I'm still choosing to cull for perfection, particularly when my plan goes full throttle in regard to having the breeds I want, and breeding them. If this means I will have some enemies, so be it (though I don't feel that is necessary either).

NO example of a breed is 100% perfect, and every single bird out there in the best show arena in the world has a minor flaw - that doesn't mean *striving* for perfection and excellence in your flock is wrong.

Do I respect the point of view of those who believe every single chicken that pops out of a shell should have a chance at a happy life? I respect it, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it.